According to the Sarathi scheme proposed by the Kerala government, new driving licenses will be given, and it has been previously sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. It can be anticipated that with the introduction of this scheme it will be easy to prevent malpractices in the transport department. Along with this, it will reduce the rush in the department and help in smooth functioning of the same.

Name of the scheme

Sarathi Scheme in Kerala

Launch by

Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways

Launch date

31st December 2018

Aim

Provide New Smart Driving License

Objective of the scheme

With the introduction of the scheme in Kerala, the main objective is to introduce a smooth licensing system in the transport department of the state. By the help of this printing system of the licenses, it will help to reduce any wrong usage of the licenses. The designs of the printing version of the licenses are yet to get finalized.

Some unique features of the scheme

According to the details of Sarathi scheme, new driving licenses are given to the drivers. The license will have a unique number that will serve as a security feature.

Moreover, the number will come with hologram and QR code. As per research, it has been seen that on a yearly basis, 40,000 licenses are being issued by each of the district heads of each state in Kerala.

According to the present scenario, the new applicants will be given new cards having unique features. Further, it will help to identify each of the drivers in case of an accident or the like.

The vehicle department has already initiated the project in three centers across the state.

The state government finds it tough to go through paper licenses and also check for its authenticity. Therefore, it has come up with the idea of new driving licences with the expectation that it will be a unique introduction in the department and durable enough.

Among the existing 1.5 crore license holders, the state vehicle department has already issued 6 to 8 lakhs of new smart license on a yearly basis.

Need of the scheme

State government is the opinion that high security license cards will be given to the drivers and it will be easy to maintain its authenticity and curb malpractices in the country. This will prove to be more durable and easy to use compared to the paper licenses previously used.

It has become mandatory for the existing drivers to apply for the license renewal policy so that they can avail the new smart driving licenses. In addition, according to rules set by the state government, the new applicants will have to apply for the new driving licenses so that the can have easy access to the same.

According to the opinion of the Motor Vehicles Department, it can be said that the main purpose of introducing this scheme is to bring in certain security features in the present day smart driving license cards.

Outlook of the new license card

The new card will be of the same size as that of a credit card.

On the visual zone of the card, the name of the cardholder, age, photograph, and address of the holder will be mentioned.

There will be security features including micro text, hologram, UV text, and QR code. This QR code can be detected with the help of mobile phones.

Moreover, the law-enforcing centers can also check for the authenticity of the cards. Along with this, there will be a machine-readable zone that will help to know about the history of the cardholders.

Thus, it can be concluded that the new smart driving license has been designed in such a way that it will help to keep track of the functionalities by the transport department. The new driving license scheme can be considered as a strong step by the state government that includes both central motor vehicle Act of 1988 and other rules relating to the transport department. Further it is known that 29 states will be involved in this scheme where the state government will implement the scheme for the ease of the transport department. Other than 29 states, it will include 7 union territories.